With the Justice B N Srikrishna committee set to submit its report on Telangana on Friday, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today discussed the sensitive issue with top ministers and senior officials.
The meeting was attended by finance minister Pranab Mukherjee, home minister P Chidambaram, defence minister A K Antony and law minister M Veerappa Moily besides senior PMO officials, sources said.
The meeting assumes significance as the five-member committee led by Justice Sri Krishna is likely to give its report on Friday suggesting "several options with their pros and cons" on the statehood issue.
Justice Sri Krishna, a former Supreme Court judge, has expressed hope the report will bring out a permanent solution to the issue relating to bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh.
Andhra Pradesh government had yesterday announced it would withdraw all cases against pro-Telangana students, who were in the fore-front of a violent agitation earlier this year.
Yesterday, representatives of 14 universities from the non-Telangana regions, warned that "the consequences will be bitter" if the Sri Krishna Committee does recommend bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh. The United Andhra Pradesh Students' Joint Action Committee (JAC) also asked elected representatives from non-Telangana regions to resign if the Centre sanctions a Telangana state.
Students at Osmania University have the opposite view. Their campus served as Ground Zero earlier this year for those campaigning for a new state.
The government move came after Congress MPs from Telangana region went on a fast in support of the students, a move to win back confidence of Telangana people in Congress as K Chandrasekhar Rao-led TRS has been trying to hijack the statehood movement.
Last December, Home Minister P Chidambaram said a Telangana state would be sanctioned. However, political parties from Andhra Pradesh, under severe pressure from those members who were not from Telangana, quickly withdrew their support for the bifurcation of the state. The Centre was then forced to withdraw its decision and announce that the Sri Krishna Committee would be assigned to collect political opinions.
The meeting was attended by finance minister Pranab Mukherjee, home minister P Chidambaram, defence minister A K Antony and law minister M Veerappa Moily besides senior PMO officials, sources said.
The meeting assumes significance as the five-member committee led by Justice Sri Krishna is likely to give its report on Friday suggesting "several options with their pros and cons" on the statehood issue.
Justice Sri Krishna, a former Supreme Court judge, has expressed hope the report will bring out a permanent solution to the issue relating to bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh.
Andhra Pradesh government had yesterday announced it would withdraw all cases against pro-Telangana students, who were in the fore-front of a violent agitation earlier this year.
Yesterday, representatives of 14 universities from the non-Telangana regions, warned that "the consequences will be bitter" if the Sri Krishna Committee does recommend bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh. The United Andhra Pradesh Students' Joint Action Committee (JAC) also asked elected representatives from non-Telangana regions to resign if the Centre sanctions a Telangana state.
Students at Osmania University have the opposite view. Their campus served as Ground Zero earlier this year for those campaigning for a new state.
The government move came after Congress MPs from Telangana region went on a fast in support of the students, a move to win back confidence of Telangana people in Congress as K Chandrasekhar Rao-led TRS has been trying to hijack the statehood movement.
Last December, Home Minister P Chidambaram said a Telangana state would be sanctioned. However, political parties from Andhra Pradesh, under severe pressure from those members who were not from Telangana, quickly withdrew their support for the bifurcation of the state. The Centre was then forced to withdraw its decision and announce that the Sri Krishna Committee would be assigned to collect political opinions.
